In a typical conveyor system, articles are automatically routed via a series of conveyors to various work stations where components can be assembled with the articles, or to inspection stations where the articles can be inspected or tested. Occasionally, the flow of articles in the conveyor system may be interrupted or slowed down because of a malfunction in the conveyor system, due to jamming of the articles, or due to a slowdown at a particular work or inspection station. In the event of a slowdown or stoppage, it is desirable to store or accumulate the articles upstream of the stoppage, so that it is not necessary to shut down the entire conveyor system. After the stoppage has been corrected, the articles can then be fed back into the conveying system.
In the past, various types of storage or accumulating units have been associated with conveyor systems to provide this function. However, in many cases, the storage units require substantial floor space, which may not be readily available in the plant, or the storage units are of a complicated and expensive construction which require frequent maintenance and repair.